Texans are being disrespectful

This week’s 10 things

Friday, September 25, 2009

By Vic Ketchman, jaguars.com senior editor

The more I think about this “Battle Red” thing, the more angry I get. This is insulting. This is like being the homecoming game on a team’s schedule every year.

Oh, I know why they’re doing it. The Texans are still angry about the Jaguars having used them to dump $17 million in salary cap amortization in the 2002 expansion draft. The Texans are still mad at themselves for having facilitated the recovery of a division foe that would’ve been in salary cap hell for another five years had not the Texans assumed the amortization of players who did very little for them.

So whose fault was that? Did they expect the Jaguars to say, “Oh, no, we couldn’t do that to one of our beloved AFC South partners?”

Yeah, I know, the Texans are ridin’ high in the saddle after their upset win in Tennessee. At 1-1, this is an over-the-hump game for the Texans. This is a chance for them to get over .500 and, finally, stay there. This is a chance for Houston to become a legitimate playoff contender.

All of that should make this a “See Red Day” for the Jaguars. It’s time for the Jaguars to spoil the Texans’ party, just as the Texans have spoiled the Jaguars’ for so many years.

Here are 10 things the Jaguars have to do to beat the Texans.

Score a lot of points—Against the league’s worst defense, the Jaguars should be productive.

Keep them under 24—I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect greatness from a defense that’s struggling right now. Twenty-four is reasonable and that might work.

Run, run, run—The Texans are last in the league against the run, which is an engraved invitation to run the ball, control the clock and keep Matt Schaub on the bench.

Try seven defensive backs, again—It didn’t work against the Colts, but the Texans are dead last in the league in rushing, too, and if ever there was a team whose running game you could ignore, this is the one.